This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Large industrial vehicles, such as mining shovels or excavators, typically include a number of components that must be serviced or maintained periodically (e.g. on a preventative maintenance schedule, etc.) in order to preserve the operational performance, reliability, and efficiency of the vehicle (i.e. maintenance components). The maintenance components are often housed within a single deck. As industrial vehicles have become more complex, the number of maintenance components within the deck has increased, and the maintenance components have become larger. In addition, efforts have been made to reduce or limit the footprint (i.e. occupied area) of these industrial vehicles, thereby limiting the area of the deck. As a result, the deck layout has become overcrowded with maintenance components, limiting access to the maintenance components, and creating confined spaces on the deck.
Conventional mining vehicles typically include a main level machinery house for housing the maintenance components. Most of the maintenance components are contained within the main level machinery house, but some maintenance components, such as gear cases and/or drive cases, are kept below the machinery house underneath the mining vehicle. Typically, at least a lift and a harness are required for maintenance personnel to access the maintenance components located underneath the vehicle. The mining vehicle may not be operable while these maintenance components are being serviced, resulting in extended machine downtime. In addition, the maintenance components located within the main level machinery house may be close together because of the number and size of the maintenance components. The confined spaces within the machinery house may make it more difficult to service the maintenance components, increasing the service time for the components and again resulting in extended machine downtime.